Data exchange initiated by tapping devices

ABSTRACT

A user can initiate the transmission of data on a mobile device by making physical contact with another device. The physical contact can be any type of physical touch that is referred to as a “tap” or “tapping.” When a tap is detected by a device, the device may initiate near field communication (NFC) with the other tapping device. NFC may be used to communicate data between the two devices, or NFC may be used to exchange sufficient information to allow the devices to establish a communication channel via another communication link. In some embodiments, an NFC-enabled mobile device can be used to gather group data relating to users having mobile devices that are within NFC range of one another and which initiate the aggregation of group data by the tapping of three or more devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/060,587, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,918,050, filed Oct. 22, 2013 and titledDATA EXCHANGE INITIATED BY TAPPING DEVICES; which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/168,891 filed Jun. 24, 2011, nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,565,676 and titled DATA EXCHANGE INITIATED BY TAPPINGDEVICES; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/672,060, filed Feb. 3, 2010 and titled DATA EXCHANGE INITIATED BYTAPPING DEVICES; which is a U.S. National Stage application ofInternational Application No. PCT/US08/54793, filed Feb. 22, 2008 andtitled DATA EXCHANGE INITIATED BY TAPPING DEVICES; all of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

The term “near field communication” (or “NFC”) generally encompassesshort range wireless technology using magnetic field induction, oftenbut not exclusively using the globally available and unlicensed radiofrequency band of 13.56 MHz (see ISO/IEC 18092/ECMA-340 and ISO/IEC21481/ECMA-352). NFC builds upon the same basic technology of proximityRFID tags and contactless smartcards. Such magnetic field inductiontechniques are a deviation from conventional transmitting devices thatproduce radio frequency (RF) plane waves that propagate through freespace. In NFC, a transmitting device uses a transducer to modulatesignals in a magnetic field that remains relatively localized around thedevice. Information is communicated or coupled through the magneticfield by sensing time varying fields or fluctuations using a similarlydesigned transducer in a receiving device. Although a small amount of RFenergy inevitably flows from the transducer in the transmitting device,the majority of the energy is stored in the form of a magnetic field.

Exploiting these properties, NFC-enabled mobile devices can providecertain advantages that are not available in purely RF-basedcommunications. These advantages arise from the fact that the signalsproduced in NFC attenuate as a function of 1/r⁶, which is much largerthan the signals associated with RF fields (a function of 1/r²). Thislarge amount of attenuation, gives NFC a relatively short communicationrange or communication “bubble” of about 5-10 cm. Outside of thisbubble, communications are very difficult to intercept or eavesdrop on.This large attenuation also prevents NFC-enabled mobile devices frombeing as susceptible to overlapping frequency spectra from otherdevices. Thus, two or more devices can sidestep the more complicated setup procedures associated with traditional short range wirelesscommunications (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). For example, NFC-enabledmobile devices do not need to identify a secure channel or a commonfrequency band on which to communicate.

NFC-enabled devices can be used in many applications, such as electronicpayment, information retrieval, and short range data transmitting. Thereare generally two different kinds of NFC devices: active or passive. Anactive NFC device provides power to an internally located transducer.When modulated, the transducer creates a signal in a magnetic field andthis signal can in turn be received by a target device. Passive devices,on the other hand, use the broadcast signal from an active device forpower and can therefore only communicate when they are in the presenceof an active device. In general, NFC-enabled devices are active devicesthat include a transducer and an NFC-enabled chipset. For example, amobile device can function as a smart card that can be used forelectronic payment or as a card reader that can be used to readinformation from NFC tags (embedded in a poster, a kiosk, or other typeof stationary device). NFC-enabled mobile devices can also set up shortrange wireless links with other devices. Despite being slower than sometraditional short range communications, NFC can transfer information(e.g., a text or picture file) at respectable speeds of up to 424 KB/s.If larger amounts of data need to be transferred, a device can use NFCto set up an RF link. For example, Bluetooth v2.1+EDR supports sessionset up using an out of band (OOB) NFC link to exchange authentication,encryption, and other types of session information (see, Specificationof the Bluetooth System, Jul. 26, 2007). Such OOB links can eliminatecomplicated and time-intensive setup and encryption procedures.

Although NFC is a very promising technology, current attempts tointegrate NFC within a device have not completely addressed at leastsome of problems related to using devices as a short range communicationtool. In particular, NFC by itself does not alleviate the oftencumbersome and awkward task of entering commands and data into a device.For example, some cellular telephones are enabled with NFC capability.Such devices tend to be compact, having small display screens andlimited sized keypads. When exchanging data between such devices, usersneed to use these compact displays and keypads to access menus and inputa variety of commands before data will begin to transmit. For example,transmitting electronic contact information to another user can be aninvolved task. To find contact information, users typically have to usetheir keypad to navigate to a menu that displays all of their contactsand then use the keypad again to select an individual contact from thismenu. Once the appropriate contact has been located, users need toselect the contact and then indicate that they want to transmit thecontact data to another device. To do this, users typically have tonavigate through additional menus and input further keypad entries toinitiate data transmission. Operating the compact display and keypad canbe tedious and frustrating, especially when keys are accidentallydepressed. As another example, it can also be difficult to use mobiledevice displays and keypads to organize and arrange data on a mobiledevice. For example, users can use the short range communicationfeatures on their mobile devices to collect hundreds or even thousandsof electronic contacts. Some of these contacts may be electronicbusiness cards (e.g., collected at a business conference or a seminar)and other contacts may be those of personal acquaintances (e.g.,friends, family members, members of a sports club, etc.). Despite havingacquired this data, given the nature of mobile device displays andkeypads, it is difficult for a user to present or recall thisinformation in a meaningful way (e.g., organized by type, group, date,etc.). Thus, even though NFC can allow mobile devices to collectexhaustive amount of data, it still leaves the user with the Herculeantask of organizing and arranging the data after it has been collected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1D are perspective diagrams of two users “tapping” two or morenear field communication (NFC) enabled devices together to initiate datatransmission and/or to activate NFC on an individual device.

FIGS. 2A-2F are representative user interfaces on NFC-enabled devicesthat depict various types of data that may be exchanged as a result ofdevice tapping.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of representative components within anNFC-enabled mobile device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective diagram of a group of users tapping NFC-enabledmobile devices to initiate data transmission.

FIG. 5 is a perspective diagram of a group of users subsequently sharingdata as a result of relationships established by tapping NFC-enabledmobile devices.

FIG. 6 is a data communication diagram depicting the transmission ofdata between multiple NFC-enabled mobile devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various systems and methods for initiating near field communication(NFC) and data transfer between devices are described herein. In someembodiments, a user can initiate the transmission of data on a mobiledevice by making physical contact with another device. The physicalcontact can be any type of physical touch, and is generally referred toherein as a “tap” or “tapping.” When a tap is detected by a device, thedevice may initiate NFC with the other device. The NFC channel may beused to communicate data between the two devices, or the NFC channel maybe used to exchange sufficient information to allow the devices toestablish an alternate communication channel via a wireless network(such as GPRS, EDGE or UMTS) or other communication link. The use of atap to initiate communication offers users a less complicated and moreintuitive manner to exchange data with other devices.

In some embodiments, an NFC-enabled mobile device can be used to gathergroup data relating to users having mobile devices that are within NFCrange of one another and which initiate the aggregation of group data bythe tapping of three or more devices. The group data can include, forexample, user phone numbers, email addresses, business and personaldata, as well as a myriad other types of information. The group data canbe recalled and used by the devices at a later time, for example tocollectively send an email or text message to each user addressassociated with the group data.

The term “mobile device” may encompass any of a myriad of communicationdevices such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants, portablecomputers, mini computers, programmable consumer electronics, and so on.Such mobile devices can include a central processing unit, memory, inputdevices (e.g., keypads and input buttons) and output devices (e.g.,display devices). Mobile devices can also include hardware and operatinginstructions stored in memory for wirelessly transmitting and receivingdata according to one or more wireless protocols in addition toNFC-based data exchanges. Such protocols include short range protocols(e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ultra-wideband, and ZigBee) and radio-accessnetwork protocols (e.g., GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and CDMA).

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described. Thefollowing description provides specific details for a thoroughunderstanding and an enabling description of these embodiments. Oneskilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may bepracticed without many of these details. Additionally, some well-knownstructures or functions may not be shown or described in detail, so asto avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the variousembodiments. The terminology used in the description presented below isintended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, eventhough it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description ofcertain specific embodiments of the invention.

NFC Initiation via Tapping

In some embodiments, users can tap an NFC-enabled mobile device withanother NFC-enabled device, initiating data exchange using a limitedamount of manual input. The user selects data to be transferred as aresult of a tap. Once the data has been identified for transfer, userscan initiate the transfer by tapping the mobile device with the otherdevice. An NFC channel is used for purposes of communicating the data orfor purposes of exchanging sufficient information to allow the data tobe communicated via an alternate communication channel, such as awireless channel (GPRS, EDGE, UMTS) or other communication link. Theother device receives the incoming data and may transmit data inresponse to the received data. The other device may be a mobile device,or it may be a non-mobile device such as a kiosk, ATM, desktop computer,appliance, picture frame and other programmable consumer electronic orother communication-enabled device.

FIGS. 1A-1D are perspective diagrams illustrating the tapping of two ormore NFC-enabled devices together to initiate data exchange between thedevices. In FIG. 1A, a first user 5 having a first NFC-enabled mobiledevice 10 selects data 15 that is to be transmitted to a secondNFC-enabled mobile device 20 of a second user 25. The user may selectdata to be exchanged by making the data visible on the mobile devicedisplay, by selecting one or more data files from a menu or list of datafiles, by depressing individual keys that have pre-assigned associationwith specific data (e.g., in a similar fashion to how speed-dial isassigned to a specific key on a phone), or by specifying one or morerules regarding the type of data that may be transferred in the absenceof previously-selected data. FIGS. 2A-2F depict various user interfacesthat allow data to be selected by a user for transmission. The data maybe one or more pieces of information (such as contact information 200),media (such as a song 205, image 210, text, music, or video), orapplication or other data files 215. The user 5 can select the data 15in a variety of ways, such as by highlighting an item indicative of thefile on a menu (FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2D), by making the contents of the data 15visible on the display of the mobile device (FIG. 2C), by creating oneor more rules that reflect the data that should be automaticallytransmitted in the event of a tap (FIG. 2E), or by assigning one or moresoftkeys to certain data (FIG. 2F) and pressing the appropriate softkeyprior to, during, or immediately after the tap that initiates thetransmission. The selection of data may be made in particularapplications, such as in an address book, email, or media playerapplication, or from a file management system present on the mobiledevice.

As shown in FIG. 1B, after selecting data to transmit, the user 5 cantransmit the file by tapping the first mobile device 10 with the secondmobile device 20. The first mobile device has an NFC range 30 thatoverlaps an NFC range 35 of the second device. FIG. 3 is a block diagramof representative components within an NFC-enabled mobile device 300.The device contains a power subsystem 325, data storage 315 to storeprograms and data, and a processor 320 to run an operating system andapplications to implement the disclosed functionality. A user interfaceswith the device using a user input component 305 (e.g., keypad,touchscreen, voice recognition system) and a user output component 310(e.g., speaker, screen). To establish an NFC channel, the mobile device300 includes a tap sensing component 335 and an NFC transducer 330. Toestablish other communication channels, the mobile device may includeone or more other communication components 340, such as Bluetooth,Wi-Fi, Ultra-wideband, ZigBee, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and CDMAcomponents.

Various technologies may be used to implement the tap sensing component335 in a mobile or a non-mobile device. For example, the tap sensingcomponent may be a capacitive switch that is incorporated into theexternal cases of devices and which causes activation by slight contactbetween contact points located on each of the devices. As anotherexample, the tap sensing component may be an accelerometer sensingelement that causes activation only after a certain threshold of impactforce or momentum change is detected within the device. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that other types of touch-detectiontechnologies, such as resistive switches, may also be used in devices todetect a tap. The tap can be any type of physical contact that occursbetween the devices. The type of contact that is made between thedevices is related to the type of tap sensing component included withthe devices. For example, devices with capacitive switches may requiretwo devices to merely be brushed together, whereas devices withaccelerometers may require a more vigorous tap between two devices. Insome embodiments, when the devices are tapped together the NFCtransducers 330 within the devices are activated. Activating andde-activating NFC components in such a manner conserves battery power onthe devices. In other embodiments, the NFC components within the devicesmay always be activated, but not communicating with one another until atap is detected.

When a tap is detected by the tap sensing component, the selected data15 is transmitted without any further input from the user 5 or the user25. The data may be transmitted between the mobile devices 10, 20 usingthe NFC channel. That is, after the tap has occurred, certainhandshaking occurs between the devices and the data is transmitted usingthe available NFC channel. In some embodiments, the NFC channel is usedto exchange addressing and protocol information sufficient to enable thedevices to then transmit the data via an alternate communication channel(e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ultra-wideband, ZigBee, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTSand CDMA). For example, if both of the devices are mobile phones, thedevices may exchange device addresses over the NFC channel, and then mayinitiate the transfer of data via an alternate wireless communicationchannel that the phones utilize for voice and/or data transfer. It willbe appreciated that multiple communication channels may be used tocomplete a single data transfer. For example, the devices may initiatedata communication via an NFC channel, but when the devices are movedapart and the NFC channel is broken, the devices may continue thetransfer of data via the wireless communication channel. If the devicesare subsequently brought back within NFC communication range, thedevices may terminate the transfer of data via the wirelesscommunication channel and may resume transmission via the NFC channel.It is generally advantageous to transmit as much data as possible viathe NFC channel, however, as doing so preserves the capacity of thewireless communication channel for other uses. In some embodiments, thecommunication channel that is used will depend on the quantity of databeing transferred. Smaller amounts of data may be transmitted via theNFC channel, whereas larger amounts of data may be transmitted via thewireless or other communication channel.

FIG. 1C shows the data 15′ after it has been transferred from the firstmobile device 10 to the second mobile device 20. Assuming that at leastuser 5 or user 25 has selected a file, transfer of the data 15 occursimmediately after the mobile devices 10, 20 are tapped. Communicationbetween the mobile devices can be carried out in a half-duplex mode,where the first mobile device 10 is an initiating device and the secondmobile device 20 is a target device. For example, after the mobiledevices are tapped together, the first mobile device 10 first determineswhether an NFC channel is open (i.e., no other devices are communicatingwithin the first NFC range 30). If the channel is open, the first mobiledevice 10 transmits a message. In some embodiments, both of the mobiledevices may attempt to exchange files with one another. In this case,the mobile devices can be configured to negotiate which of the mobiledevices should be the first to transmit and which of the mobile devicesshould wait to receive a transmission.

As depicted in FIG. 1D, once the data has been transmitted via the NFCchannel, or information sufficient to allow the data to be transmittedbetween the devices has been exchanged via the NFC channel, the NFCchannel is deactivated. In some embodiments, the mobile devicesdeactivate NFC by indicating to one another that communications havefinished. Alternatively, mobile devices could include individual timercircuits that deactivate NFC after a pre-determined amount of time haselapsed from the initial tap or from the last communication receivedfrom the other device. While the communication is depicted between twomobile devices in FIGS. 1A-1D, it will be appreciated that the sametechniques may be used to transmit data between a mobile device and anon-mobile device.

Various enhancements may be implemented on a mobile or non-mobile devicerelated to the tap feature. In some embodiments, a user may be allowedto lock the tap feature of the device, preventing the device fromtransmitting and/or receiving any data as a result of a tap. In someembodiments, the device may produce visible and/or audible indicatorswhen it has been tapped and data communication is about to start. Forexample, when tapped, the display of the device can brighten or thedevice can produce a click, a tone, or other type of sound (e.g.,similar to how a digital camera creates a mechanical clicking sound).

In some embodiments, a user may define further limitations on the datathat is communicated as a result of a tap. For example, the user mayspecify that data be transmitted only if the receiving device isassociated with a known individual (e.g., business associate, friend,family member). Prior to initiating data transmission and as part of ahandshake process, the transmitting device would therefore receiveidentifying information from the receiving device and compare thereceived identification with a list of authorized individuals that aremaintained on the transmitting device. If the receiving device is foundto be associated with an authorized individual, then the transmittingdevice will continue with the data transmission. If the receiving deviceis not associated with an authorized individual, then the transmittingdevice will not continue with the data transmission.

In some embodiments, the pattern of taps between two devices may causedifferent data to be communicated between the devices. For example, twofriends may specify that certain pictures may only be shared if adefined pattern of taps is first detected. The pattern may be a simplepattern (e.g., three taps in quick succession, two quick taps followedby a third delayed tap) or a complex pattern (e.g., the rhythm of “shaveand a haircut”). In addition to causing certain data to be transmitted,the received pattern of taps may also cause a process to be kicked-offon the receiving device. For example, the receiving device may receive atransfer of images and may cause the images to then be uploaded to aprinting service.

In some embodiments, rather than specifying the data that is to betransmitted prior to or during the tap (e.g., by default settings, bymanual selection, by softkey), the user may select the data that is tobe transmitted to another device after the tap. That is, if a user tapsanother device without having specified data that is to be transmitted,following the tap an interface may be displayed to the user to allow theuser to select the data that is to be transmitted to the other device.The user may select the appropriate data to transmit using any of themethods described herein, and the data is then transmitted betweendevices using a NFC or other communication channel. Although having theuser specify the data to transmit after the tap removes some of thespontaneity associated with tapping, the initiation of data transfer bytapping is still more efficient that prior art methods of communicatingdata.

Group Data Sharing Via NFC

In some embodiments, three or more users can compile group data bytapping their NFC-enabled mobile devices together within a certainperiod of time that is preset or defined by a user. The group data isautomatically compiled and provided to one or more users within thegroup. At a later time, the group data can be used to re-establishcontact with an individual within the group or the group collectively.As compared to conventional and manual methods of organizing data,tapping mobile devices allows users to more easily create groupings andassociations with other users. For example, a group of users can gathergroup data by tapping their devices to obtain electronic business cards.The business card data can include email addresses, phone numbers,company info and other types of data relating to each of the users. Asanother example, a group of newly acquainted tourists can useNFC-enabled mobile devices to share digital photos. At the same timethat the tourists are transferring photo files, their mobile devices canalso be automatically gathering group data that allows the tourists tore-connect after their vacation. For example, after returning home thetourists can use the group data to send additional photos to thecollective group or to individuals within the group.

FIGS. 4-6 are diagrams illustrating the creation of group data usingNFC. FIG. 4 shows first, second, and third users 400, 401, 402 having,respectively, NFC-enabled mobile devices 410, 411, 412. The mobiledevices 410, 411, 412 have corresponding NFC ranges 420, 421, 422. Whenthe mobile devices have been tapped together and are within NFC range ofone another (i.e., the NFC ranges 420, 421, 422 are overlapping), thedevices can automatically compile group data 430 by acquiring data abouteach other. For example, mobile device 410 can compile group data 430 a,mobile device 411 can compile group data 430 b, and mobile device 412can compile group data 430 c. The group data can be stored withinindividual mobile devices and used, as described herein, to re-establishcommunications with each of the other users either individually orcollectively.

Various techniques may be used to define how close in proximity a tapwith another mobile device must be in order for the other device to joina group. In some embodiments, a mobile device may have a preset timeperiod (e.g. 15 seconds) after each tap during which it assumes that asubsequent tap with another mobile device should be aggregated with thepreceding tap or taps to form a group. In this fashion, a user maysequentially tap in close proximity the mobile devices of others inorder to form a group. In some embodiments, a user may enter an initialcommand before starting to tap other mobile devices that should be in agroup and a final command after tapping the last mobile device of a userthat should be in a group. Any taps that occur with other mobile devicesafter the initial command and before the final command would thereforefall within the group. In some embodiments, only a single tap withanother mobile device is required to start the group formation process,but the mobile device communicates with all other devices that arewithin range of NFC and aggregates the information from any of themobile devices with which it is able to communicate in order to form agroup. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other automated ormanual techniques may be used to form groups.

FIG. 5 shows the users 400, 401, 402 re-establishing contact with oneanother at a later time. The first user 400 is using the mobile device410 in communication with a radio access network 500, the second user401 is using a computer 510 coupled to an IP network 501, and the thirduser 402 is using the mobile device 412 in communication with a radioaccess network 502. The radio access networks 500, 502 are coupled tothe IP network 501 via public and/or private networks, allowing theusers to establish communication with one another (e.g., via e-mail,instant messaging, text or SMS messaging, or by voice or videocommunications). For example, the first user 400 can use the group data430 a stored on the mobile device 410 to send a text message to each oreither of the users 401, 402. After transferring the group data to thecomputer 510, the second user 401 can use the group data 430 b to emaila file to each or either of the users 400, 402. Or, the third user 402can use the group data 430 c on the mobile device 412 to establish agroup call with the users 400, 401.

Once group data 430 has been aggregated and provided to each of themobile devices, a user may access the group data and add members, modifymembers, or remove members from the group. In some embodiments, thegroup data may be uploaded to a website or other service that wouldallow a user to easily access the group data via a computer or via themobile device. The group data may be exported to social networkingsites, such as Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Yahoo! Groups, or similarsites, where the group data may be used to create new social networks orextend existing social networks. The group data may also be used toconstruct mailing lists to facilitate the distribution of emails or SMSmessages.

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram that illustrates an embodiment of data flowsbetween the mobile devices 410, 411, 412 when the devices are within NFCrange of one another. To compile group data, any one of the mobiledevices 410, 411, 412 can initiate a group data exchange by tapping twoor more of the other devices. FIG. 6 shows the first device 410initiating a group data exchange by tapping mobile devices 411 and 412and transmitting a group formation message 605 to each of the devicesvia an NFC signal. The transmitted group formation message 605 includesan indicator (e.g., a parameter in a header) that group data should begathered from all mobile devices that are tapped or alternatively thatare within range of device 410. The group formation message may beautomatically generated by the mobile device once it detects two devicestapped in close proximity, or the user can indicate to the mobile device410 that group data should be compiled prior to tapping the otherdevices (e.g., by entering such input on the keypad of the mobiledevice). In addition to indicating that group data should be compiled,the transmitted group formation message 605 can also includeidentification data associated with the first mobile device 410 or theuser 400, for example the user's phone number, email-address, businessor personal information, etc.

When the mobile devices 411 and 412 receive the group formation message605, the message informs the receiving devices that group data is beingcompiled. Accordingly, mobile device 412 transmits identification data610 to mobile devices 410 and 411, and mobile device 411 transmitsidentification data 615 to mobile devices 410 and 412. When each mobiledevice receives identification data from another device, it compiles atleast a portion of the received data to create the group data 430.Specifically, mobile device 410 compiles data received from mobiledevices 411 and 412 to create group data 430 a, mobile device 411compiles data received from mobile devices 410 and 412 to create groupdata 430 b, and mobile device 412 compiles data received from mobiledevices 410 and 411 to create group data 430 c (each set of group dataimplicitly includes, of course, information associated with the mobiledevice that receives the group data). Once group formation is complete,a group termination message (not shown) may be sent to the other mobiledevices to indicate that no further mobile devices are to be acceptedinto the group.

In contrast to each of the mobile devices having to send identificationinformation to all of the other mobile devices in order to compile groupdata, in some embodiments one of the mobile devices may be designated asa master device to collect all group data. The master mobile devicereceives identification data from all of the other mobile devices in thegroup, compiles the received identification data to create the groupdata, and transmits the group data to the other mobile devices. Thegroup data may be transmitted via an NFC channel, or it may betransmitted via an alternate communication channel.

One example application that may utilize group data is a mediaapplication that allows media sharing. The first user 400 can use themobile device 410 to capture a picture and transmit the picture file tothe mobile devices 411 and 412 using NFC. The picture file may beaccompanied by the group formation message and corresponding useridentification data. The mobile devices 411 and 412 respond withidentification data, thereby instantly creating a group of individuals(e.g., individuals traveling together, individuals that may have metwhile at a sporting event, dinner, or a trip) that can subsequentlyshare pictures of interest. In some embodiments, the picture file couldbe used as the group identifier, such as a graphical icon that isdisplayed in a contact list. The contact list could be programmed, forexample, so that upon clicking such an icon, a text message having theaddresses of the other users is included in the “To:” field of themessage. In other embodiments, group data can be used to set up othertypes of distributions groups for various services, such as a T-Mobile®myFaves association for wireless communication services.

CONCLUSION

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific, representativeembodiments have been described herein for purposes of illustration, butthat various modifications may be made to these embodiments includingadding and/or eliminating particular features. For example, many of thefeatures relating to NFC-enabled mobile devices are applicable toNFC-enabled stationary devices. Further, while advantages associatedwith certain embodiments have been described in the context of thoseembodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and notall embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall withinthe scope of the invention.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thespirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is notlimited except as by the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A system for receiving data at a mobile device, the systemcomprising: a detection component incorporated into the mobile device,wherein the detection component is configured to: detect a physicalproximity between the mobile device and multiple other mobile devices;and generate signals indicative of the detected physical proximitybetween the mobile device and the multiple other mobile devices; a nearfield communication transponder; and a controller coupled to thedetection component and to the near field communication transponder,wherein the controller is configured to: receive the signals indicativeof physical proximity between the mobile device and the multiple othermobile devices and, in response, initiate a group data exchange andtransmit a group formation message to each of the multiple other mobiledevices, enable the near field communication transponder to receive datamessages initiated by the multiple other mobile devices that are part ofthe group data exchange, wherein the group formation message facilitatescreation of communication channels between the mobile device and themultiple other mobile devices over which the data is to be received. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured toenable creation of the communication channels between the mobile deviceand the multiple other mobile devices over which the data is to bereceived.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the detection componentcomprises one or more of a capacitive switch, a resistive switch, or anaccelerometer.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communicationchannels include a near field communication channel and the data isreceived via the near field communication transponder.
 5. The system ofclaim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to enable creationof a second communication channel between the mobile device and at leastone of the multiple other mobile devices over which the data is to bereceived.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to: detect a break in the near field communication channel;and commence reception of the data via the second communication channel.7. The system of claim 5, further comprising: a short rangecommunication component configured to communicate with at least one ofthe multiple other mobile devices via a short range protocol, whereinthe second communication channel is established by the short rangecommunication component.
 8. The system of claim 5, further comprising: aradio access communication component configured to communicate with thesecond device via a radio-access network protocol, and wherein thesecond communication channel is established by the radio accesscommunication component.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the physicalproximity comprises multiple taps detected by the detection component.10. A computer readable storage medium, excluding transitory signals,having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or moreprocessors of a mobile device, cause the mobile device to: detect aphysical proximity between the mobile device and multiple other mobiledevices; generate a signal indicative of the physical proximity betweenthe mobile device and the multiple other mobile devices; responsive tothe signal indicative of the physical proximity between the mobiledevice and the multiple other mobile devices, the mobile deviceinitiating a group data exchange and transmitting a group formationmessage to each of the multiple other mobile devices; enable, at themobile device, a near field communication transponder to receive a datamessage initiated by the multiple other mobile devices that are part ofthe group data exchange, wherein the group formation message facilitatescreation of communication channels between the mobile device and themultiple other mobile devices over which the data message is to bereceived from the multiple other mobile devices that are part of thegroup data exchange.
 11. The computer readable storage medium of claim10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or moreprocessors of the mobile device, further cause the mobile device toenable creation of the communication channels between the mobile deviceand the multiple other mobile devices over which the data is to bereceived by the mobile device.
 12. The computer readable storage mediumof claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or moreprocessors of the mobile device, cause the mobile device to detect thephysical proximity between the mobile device and the multiple othermobile devices by measuring a change in capacitance or resistance at themobile device.
 13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10,wherein the communication channels include a near field communicationchannel and the data is received via the near field communicationtransponder.
 14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10,wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors ofthe mobile device, further cause the mobile device to: enable creationof the communication channels between the mobile device and the multipleother mobile devices over which the data is to be received by the mobiledevice, wherein the communication channels include a short rangecommunication channel configured to communicate with at least one of themultiple other mobile devices via a short range protocol.
 15. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions,when executed by the one or more processors of the mobile device,further cause the mobile device to: enable creation of the communicationchannels between the mobile device and the multiple other mobile devicesover which the data is to be received by the mobile device, wherein thecommunication channels include a radio access communication channelconfigured to communicate with at least one of the multiple other mobiledevices via a radio-access network protocol.
 16. The computer readablestorage medium of claim 10, wherein the physical proximity between themobile device and the multiple other mobile devices comprises multipletaps.
 17. A system for receiving data at a mobile device, the systemcomprising: detection means for detecting a physical proximity betweenthe mobile device and multiple other mobile devices and generating asignal indicative of the detected physical proximity; communicationmeans for communicating via a near field communications protocol;reception means for receiving the signal indicative of physicalproximity between the mobile device and the multiple other mobiledevices and, in response, initiating a group data exchange andtransmitting a group formation message to each of the multiple othermobile devices, enabling the communication means to receive a datamessage initiated by the multiple other mobile devices that are part ofthe group data exchange, wherein the group formation message facilitatescreation of communication channels between the mobile device and themultiple other mobile devices over which data is to be received by themobile device.
 18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a secondcommunication means for communicating via a second communicationsprotocol.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second communicationsprotocol comprises a short range protocol or a radio-access networkprotocol.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein the reception means arefurther configured to receive the data communication via the secondcommunication means if the communication means become unavailable.